Category: Front Page

The Unity Council is proud to bring back our annual Career and Resource Fair! This is a wonderful opportunity for both teens and adults who are seeking the perfect summer job or a change in their career. On-the-spot interviews may be offered, so business casual attire is recommended. Previous corporate participants include BART, State Farm, and La Clinica de la...
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Jae joined The Unity Council’s Community Programs Department six months ago as the Senior Manager of Community Impact. Jae is an experienced administrator and strategic thinker with a demonstrated history developing cross-sector programs that advance racial equity. Jae has dedicated his career to developing pathways that support leaders of color to transform the education and health sectors. In his role,...
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On February 19th and 20th, nine Latino Men & Boys (LMB) program youth and four Mentors were part of the Obama Foundation’s MBK Rising! conference, a convening for the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative held in Oakland that brought together the growing network of MBK communities, elected officials, cross-sector leaders, young men of color and the organizations working hard to help...
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Tax season is here! And our VITA staff and certified volunteers are ready to help qualified candidates file their income taxes for free. VITA is available by appointment only. Please call 510-535-6101 to make an appointment. Click here to learn more about the VITA program. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program at The Unity Council has been providing free...
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What is VITA, and am I eligible for free tax preparation? The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax help to people who generally make $55,000 or less, persons with disabilities and limited English speaking taxpayers who need assistance in preparing their own tax returns. IRS-certified volunteers provide free basic income tax return preparation with electronic filing to qualified individuals....
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Last school year, six teenage parents whose children were enrolled in our Cal-SAFE Early Head Start program received their high school diploma through ACOE’s Fruitvale Academy High School. California School Age Families Education (Cal-SAFE) is a program for pregnant and parenting teen parents operated by the Alameda County Office of Education. The Unity Council operates an onsite Early Head Start...
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As part of The Unity Council’s Community Programs Department Pathways to Health Careers initiative, we are working in collaboration with Alameda County Social Services Agency and the Castro Valley adult school to offer a tailored Medical Assistant Certificate & Internship program for CalWORKs recipients. This 6-month pilot program is meant to increase the economic stability of low-income families by placing...
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Neighborhood Builder awards will help scale programs addressing systemic challenges to sustainable employment and displacement The Unity Council (TUC) was awarded the 2018 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders® award for our work serving individuals struggling with employment, homelessness and the high cost of living in gentrifying communities. As part of the award, the largest philanthropic investment into nonprofit leadership development...
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Displacement is the single biggest threat facing many communities in Oakland today. The Fruitvale District, which is Oakland’s densest and most diverse neighborhood, is in peril of drastic and irreversible transformation as the area’s historic Latino, African American, and East Asian communities are driven out by rising cost of living. Market rate rents increased more than twice the rate of...
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Block Club Chicago Article by Mina Bloom and Mauricio Peña When it opened in 2004, Fruitvale Village was considered one of the first transit-oriented developments in the country. It was born out of a decade-long community-led fight against a proposed parking garage on the transit agency-owned land. Essentially, BART — the CTA of Oakland — wanted to build a parking garage there,...
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The Unity Council (officially known as the Spanish Speaking Unity Council) envisions a joyful, united, and engaged community where people have the power to shape their lives. Founded in 1964 as a nonprofit community development organization committed to enriching the quality of life primarily in the Fruitvale District of Oakland, its Mission is to promote social equity and improve quality of life by building vibrant communities where everyone can work, learn and thrive.